Ol' Red Cease & Desist Wee Heavy

Tonight I tried a beer from a brewer that's new to me - Erie Brewing Co. in Erie, PA. It's their Ol' Red Cease & Desist Wee Heavy. A Wee Heavy is a higher horsepower version of a Scottish Ale - more malt, more alcohol, more everything. Ol' Red has an abv of 10.1%, so it fits into the Wee Heavy category in that way. It poured a deep amber color with a smallish off-white head. Carbonation is somewhat low, and it has a medium to medium-heavy body. There's lots of malt and toffee flavor, with some dark fruits and an alcohol finish. Hop presence is pretty low. I'm very impressed with my first beer from Erie Brewing. I definitely need to try some of their other offerings.

Orkney Brewery's Skull Splitter Orkney Ale

Orkney Brewery's Skull Splitter Ale is a high gravity malty brew from Scotland. It poured a deep amber with a 3/4 inch off-white head. Unfortunately, the picture is not doing it justice because it's so dark. We can thank Tropical storm Fay for that! This is a sweet ale in the style of a Wee Heavy, with lots of malt, and with the flavor of toffee and dark fruits. It's a bit higher in alcohol at 8.5%. The alcohol is obvious in the finish, and there is almost no evidence of hops. This would make a nice winter warmer!

Belhaven Wee Heavy

My preference for malty brews was satisfied by Belhaven Brewery's Wee Heavy. Belhaven is a Scottish brewery, and they make a number of great ales. A Wee Heavy is a stronger version of a Scotch Ale - this one is 6.5% alcohol. The ale is a nice mahogany color, with a creamy tan head. The head lasted a while, and left nice lacing on the glass. This beer has a nutty, roasty, malty flavor, with a slight alcohol finish.